Birds and bees—what a wonderful topic. Birds are delightful to watch and listen to. And bees are extremely useful to the gardener for they pollinate plants. Without this help of the bee, we would all be very hungry!

Teaching children about bees can help them understand why bees are necessary, as well as how to deal with bees in order to avoid stings, among other things.

“The Prelinger Library is a private research library open to the public, located in downtown San Francisco. Its collections encompass some 50,000 books, periodical volumes and printed ephemera. The Prelinger Library is currently curating this online collection of public domain materials in key subject areas.”

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Grow something this summer, even if it is only a pot of basil or dill. Plant a full garden if you are able. Growing your own food is a great way to save money and eat healthier. Get the children involved. They love planting seeds and watching them pop out of the dirt; it gives them a sense of accomplishment.

Here are some activities to do in the garden for May:

Using chemicals to rid your garden of pests is a last resort. First, try natural remedies:

Watch for problems and taking action before things get out of control.

Release natural predators and organisms that will get rid of pests in your garden.

Washing leaves off with water is another non-chemical option.

Other non-chemical options include washing leaves off with water, removing pests by hand, laying barrier screen over new plants, and essential oils/herbs such as Neem.

The ground is always colder than the air. Know your ground temperature.

If you have not made a chore list yet, take some time to do so. Your county extension office has made it easy for you. Go to the Cooperative Extension interactive US map. Click on your state then county and find (or search for) the “monthly garden calendar”

Also, be on the lookout for plant sales. Many Cooperative Extension offices start announcing them on their websites around this time of the year.

There are other places to look for plant sales too such as your local library website, arboretums, plant societies, nurseries, farmer’s markets, small farms, and area public schools.

We never know what life-situations we may find ourselves in. Here is some highly useful information about step-parenting in the form of a question to Shaykh Muhammad ‘Akkoor. And although the advice is for the men, we women can learn something too.

.♥ والدة – walidah ♥.

YOU’RE NOT MY FATHER: ADVICE TO BROTHERS WHO MARRY WOMEN WITH CHILDREN

QUESTION .::.There is a problem here in America, perhaps it is also in other places, and Allaah knows best; it is that a man may marry a woman who has children from her previous marriage. The children are ill-mannered and they say to their mother’s husband: You are not my father!

The intent behind this statement is: I don’t have to respect you because you are not my real father. This can cause problems between the spouses and could perhaps result in divorce.

So what is your advice to men who marry women with children that are ill-mannered and likewise, advice to the children and to the mothers? Benefit us, and may Allaah reward you with good.

ANSWER .::. In the name of Allaah, the Most Merciful; the Bestower of Mercy. All the praise is for Allaah, the Lord of all that exists. May prayers and peace be upon our leader Muhammad, his family and companions, all together.

To proceed:

If a man embarks upon marriage to a woman that has children then he is aware and knows that she is not like other than her from the women who are free of (these types of) concerns. He should not forget that a woman loves her children no matter who they are from; be it him or other than him. So firstly, he must take into consideration her feelings.

Secondly: He should tolerate their harm to him out of consideration for their mother and goodness to them; even if they treat him badly. For children are such that their natural disposition is lack of respect; lack of reverence; lack of patience.

Please read all of this wise advice located on the Imam’s blog of Masjid Tawheed wa Sunnah; this link is:“You’re Not My Father”

Now we have a jar of wonderfully delicious ghee. It took less than 20 minutes and was super easy to make!

Jar of ghee

Melting Butter

Simmering butter/ghee

Golden brown ghee

Some of my fondest childhood memories are cooking with ____ (insert name of food-loving adult family member). Taking our children —especially girls— into the kitchen with us is such a cozy way to spend time.

And wouldn’t a jar of home made ghee be a great gift to know how to give?!

Here is a photo of a recent up-do of a regular old composition book and pencil.

Composition books are very sturdy —they’re folded and stitched together vertically along the fold. The books are also very versatile, making excellent journals, sketch or idea books, etc.

In this set, the pencil is covered in washi tape that almost matches the green color in the book’s corners.

Decorating composition books is so fun and allows for so much individual creativity! Children —both girls and boys— love to re-make composition books. And, when purchased during back-to-school-sales, the books are very inexpensive.

TV - Yes or No? [PDF] The Permanent Committee of Scholars have stated (in a fatwa) that the television is an instrument that in and of itself has no ruling regarding it; rather, the ruling applies to its use -- Dr. Saleh as-Saleh (rahimahullaah)